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Exhibition “Archiving Hong Kong Literature: The 20th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Literature Collection at CUHK Library” showcases over a hundred of selected exhibits
Jointly organised by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Library and the University’s Hong Kong Literature Research Centre, the exhibition “Archiving Hong Kong Literature: The 20th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Literature Collection at CUHK Library” will be presented from today (28 June) to 30 December 2022 in the Exhibition Area of University Library, CUHK. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge.
With the donation of books and research materials from Professor Wai-luen LO (Xiao Si), CUHK Library established the Hong Kong Literature Collection and the Hong Kong Literature Database in 2002 by creatively linking researchers’ personal collections with the Library’s resources. After years of collection, expansion and promotion, they became a research platform of academic and social significance. To mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Literature Collection, this exhibition showcases more than 100 selected items from Hong Kong literary history. The exhibition is linked by the idea of “archives” to encourage visitors to think about the trace-leaving and preservation of literature in daily life.
There are four zones in the exhibition. Many scarce books are exhibited in the “Rare Books” area, including a Japanese translation of Xia Qiu Zhuan, and the book Submarine translated by Ai Zhen (Eileen Chang), while the “Newspapers and Magazines” area displays a number of precious collections of newspapers, supplements and periodicals by the library. Personal items donated by literary writers are exhibited in “Writers’ Possession” area, with a display case showing different replicas of the collections, and the “Digital Starry Sky” area features the development of the Hong Kong Literature Database, Hong Kong Writers and Artists Biographical Database and digital tabloids. In addition, each zone presents a special telephone booth in which visitors can literally hear the voices of writers to revisit how the writers view their works and Hong Kong literature.
Professor Nim Yan WONG, the director of the Hong Kong Literature Research Centre, CUHK, said, “Besides the obvious, ‘Hong Kong literature’ also covers Hong Kong culture, the emotional landscape of Hong Kong’s literati, and what it is that is unique about the city’s cultural fabric. In this exhibition, visitors can rummage through the drawers of Hong Kong’s literary memory, engage with history through books and periodicals, partake of writers’ wisdom and interests, and survey the vastness, order and novelty of the world of digital humanities, by stepping into the world of Hong Kong literature.”
To increase the public’s understanding of literature, a series of lectures will be held during the exhibition period with guest speakers: Mr. Fuk Yan HO, a well-known local writer; Professor Sai Shing YUNG from the Department of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore; and Dr. Shuk Man LEUNG from the School of Chinese and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, the University of Hong Kong. They have been invited to introduce the relationship between Hong Kong literature and the writers’ library, and between popular fiction and newspapers. Details of the lectures will be announced later. In addition, the “Hong Kong Literature Collection” on the first floor of the library has been reconstructed with a feature wall to introduce the history and development of Hong Kong literature.
Details of the exhibition:
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Date: |
From now to 30 December 2022 |
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Venue |
Exhibition Area, G/F, University Library, CUHK |
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Opening hours: |
Please refer to CUHK library website: http://www.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/ |
“Exhibition: Archiving Hong Kong Literature: The 20th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Literature Collection at CUHK Library” will be held at the Exhibition Area of the University Library, CUHK.
Many scarce books are exhibited in the “Rare Books” area, including a Japanese translation of Xia Qiu Zhuan; the first edition of The Poor Alley, one of the books by Lü Lun, and Submarine, which is translated by Ai Zhen (Eileen Chang). Copies of some rare books are also available for reading.
In the “Newspapers and Magazines” area, precious collections of newspapers, supplements and periodicals by the library are displayed. Copies of them are set up for visitors to read.
Personal items donated by many literary writers are exhibited in the “Writers’ Possession” area. They include a self-crafted teddy bear by Xi Xi, the diary of Lü Lun, and Ye Lingfeng’s bookplate. A display case in this area shows different replicas of the collections. Visitors can leave their answers and thoughts concerning the exhibits on Q&A cards.
The “Digital Starry Sky” area features the development of the Hong Kong Literature Database, Hong Kong Writers and Artists Biographical Database, and digital tabloids.
Each exhibition zone presents a special telephone booth in which visitors can literally hear the voices of writers to revisit how the writers view their works and Hong Kong literature.
Exhibit 1:
Huang Tianshi, Xian xin (Devoting the heart), Hong Kong: Shoukuang chubanbu, 1928
Xian xin is a prose anthology by Huang Tianshi. It is about the writer’s thoughts on the issues in society and the era, including moments during his temporary stay in Japan.
Exhibit 2:
Zhou Baiping, Zhongguo sharen wang: Hengdu Taipingyang (King of killers: Across the Pacific Ocean), Hong Kong: Shin Kong Publishing House, 1940s
Zhou Baiping is Yam Wu Fa’s pen name. He writes the series Zhongguo sharen wang, playing with wit, marksmanship, and martial arts to defeat enemies and protect the lives and properties of overseas Chinese.
Exhibit 3:
The Chinese Student Weekly, Hong Kong: The Chinese Student Weekly Editorial Board, 1952-1974
The 22-year-old The Chinese Student Weekly was a popular youth magazine in the 1950-60s. It is also where outstanding writers and intellectuals came from.
Exhibit 4:
Xi Xi’s handcrafted bears of the Water Margin series: Shi Jin and Yang Zhi
Xi Xi donated the Water Margin series to the CUHK Library in October 2018. The five bears are Shin Chin, the Hero Tattooed with Nine Dragons (left); Yan Qing, the Prodigal; Shi Qian, the Flea on a Drum; Zhang Qing, the Featherless Arrow, and Yang Zhi, the Blue Faced Beast (right). The handcrafted bears earned Xi Xi the championship in a Hong Kong bear design competition in 2005.
Echoing the theme, Archiving Hong Kong Literature, the design of the exhibition booklet comes from the idea of a document folder. A set of five postcards are for the visitors to assemble their own documents and have the back stamped with the theme seal.
“Hong Kong Literature Collection” on the first floor of the University Library has been reconstructed, with a feature wall to introduce the history and development of Hong Kong literature.
